At New York Fashion Week, designers navigated instability and identity with collections that felt personal and ready to be worn, from Rachel Scott’s runway debut at Proenza Schouler to Eckhaus Latta, and a downtown revival across the city.

At New York Fashion Week, for Proenza Schouler, Rachel Scott presented clothes that would be a first pick from any closet, the kind of clothing that always works, be it for a morning at work or an evening in a bar. There were beautifully knitted wool co-ords and denim that was hand-washed and coated. Details in certain pieces were a little off-kilter, such as the buttons on a sailor trouser or garments that were draped and bunched or cut in unexpected places, all leading up to the finale looks: draped print dresses covered in metal grommets and fringe, where Rachel’s style really showed through.

She managed to exceed the expectations with a collection that will most likely be in demand when it hits the store, and make it feel very Proenza, a difficult task when you become the creative director of a brand with just over 20 years of history, founded by two men, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who left the brand last spring to become creative directors of Loewe.

Scott was the only designer on the schedule presenting two collections during this NYFW, as she is still running her brand Diotima, which showed just two days later. There, she proposed a more intentional political statement: a collection inspired by anti-colonialist artist Wifredo Lam, whose paintings were printed onto dresses and skirts, with renditions in three-dimensional organza intarsia techniques and others in jacquard tapestries, with handwork done by Refugee Atelier, a group of immigrant artisans.

Rachel Scott rose to the challenge.

Walking to LCD Soundsystem’s “American Dream,” a parade of models walked dressed in the last iteration of Stuart Vevers’ Coach, and the energy felt grungier and darker than ever. He presented clothes young people are wearing today. The moody offering, in shades from black to white and every sort of grey to technicolour hues, carried messenger bags and a downtown attitude, and is interesting when standing in contrast to the more preppy Americana style dominating brands at this scale.

Elsewhere, with a front row stacked with celebrities from actors to artists, Calvin Klein Collection marked Veronica Leoni’s third demonstration for the brand. It was at its strongest when it leaned into the cleaner silhouettes the brand is known for and didn’t try to over-layer. Timely, as Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story”, inspired by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, is released, it serves as a reminder of why the younger audience is obsessed with the 90’s minimalism the brand, and its founder, once championed. Sometimes it’s just okay to give the audience what they want.

For his second offering at Area, Nicholas Aburn brought the atmosphere of a party back to the brand. Having previously worked under Demna at Balenciaga, he didn’t shy away from experimentation: hoodies were twisted into skirts, and scarves became dresses. At a different kind of party, Anna Sui’s love for prints, furs, and statement coats makes her one of the few shows to watch every season, an antidote to the sameness that otherwise occupies much of the current fashion industry. Scarlett White, daughter of Karen Elson and artist Jack White, opened the collection, inspired by the Blitz club and the New Romantics, making you, in fact, forget about Calvin Klein’s America and instead want to put on a fur-trimmed pink checked coat.

In the midst of tariffs, political and economic instability, another designer to question the meaning of home was Prabal Gurung, who, through references to his old school uniform and the clothes the nuns wore at his Catholic school, created draped silhouettes and beading that referenced Nepal. He created a collection where hope could only come from uniting his past with his present American life, reminding himself and others of the long way some have come to be in that place they can now call home.

At Khaite, Catherine Holstein, the reigning queen of chic New York, pushed her own boundaries with a collection inspired by F for Fake by Orson Welles, presented at the Park Avenue Armory. The set felt like an infinite wall of LED lights that displayed letters, with Sarah Pidgeon, the most talked-about actress in the city, who plays Bessette-Kennedy in the new Ryan Murphy show, walking among them. Multiple iterations of the ornaments usually found on military jackets were splashed onto organza dresses and tops, and the footwear had a slightly witchy bend at the pointed toe.

Kate Barton, one of the young designers on the calendar, managed to strike a balance between clothes that women in NYC can actually wear and innovation through technology, with a presentation where the clothes were tried on through virtual reality, pointing toward a future where practicality, wearability and experimentation don’t have to be at odds. Meanwhile, Ulla Johnson wants to dress everywoman. The designer is opening a second store in London, with the first being her flagship in New York City, and that ambition showed in the collection too: a combination of everything— even­ing gowns, jeans, coats, slip dresses, and opera gloves.

And we can’t talk about NYFW without mentioning Eckhaus Latta, a collection praised equally by critics and customers. Designers Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta masterfully created denim chaps, utilitarian dresses, dress shirts that became T-shirts, covered-up knits that revealed skin in the most unexpected places, skirts with just the perfect amount of zip, and tank tops that were barely there. Above everything, these were clothes made with real New Yorkers in mind, and not necessarily for a polished elite. Another highlight of a season that felt very much alive.